Quick Healthy Recipes For You

Today has been roasting hot again and we have come up with a fast and easy frozen treat that tastes divine and is healthy. Kids love this frozen popsicle even more when if comes in a rocket mold or in the long popsicle shape just like the bought ones but you know what is in your own home made frozen treats.

Plum Ambrosia Popsicles - ambrosia as it tastes so scrummy and delicious !

We were given some plums that looked mouthwatering but tasted “mouthwateringly” sour and made our eyes water. We left them on the bench in disgust until we hit on the brainwave of iced plums , then even better, iced Popsicles and the tartness just adds to the flavor. How can something so good for you taste so good ?

How to:

• Stew your plums
• Add either sugar - honey for a healthier version
• Take out the stones ( this is the most time consuming but stick with it as its so worth it when you taste it - besides they play havoc with your blender !
• Blend the plum puree ( blend for a long time if you want smoother or we like it more chunky to give it more body. Pour into your chosen molds and leave to set. These have gone down a treat today and we spent part of the afternoon reclining in the shade slurping and drooling.

We were so taken with the idea that we have expanded it to tart, stewed cooking apples but any fruit and apricot or berry fruit would be sublime and is only limited by your imagination. What about adding Lemon Grass or Ginger to the mix ?

Adult version of Plum Ambrosia

Serve plum puree over crushed ice in a tall glass with a long spoon, add a sprig of mint and a dash of Cointreau or your preferred liqueur.   Serve with pistachio nuts and if feeling decadent shaved dark chocolate.

Try Peach Schnapps with peach puree and crushed ice.

Enjoy.

Roasting hot ? Need cool snacks ? Need quick and healthy snacks ?

Need yummy healthy snacks ?

100 Healthy Raw Snacks and Treats

Try this refreshing selection for healthy recipes for snacks :

Iced lollies or healthy frozen snacks

You will need some ice block molds - the plastic kind with sticks attached that fit into the holder. I wish now I had bought two more so they can be setting while we munch……

Fill ice block holders with lemonade (wait until is stops fizzing before you insert the sticks or you will have very aerated ice blocks like we did the first time - really we like home made or ginger beer is good.

100 Easy and Healthy Snacks and Treats

Any type of fruit juice will be tasty - apple, peach, pear, but pineapple is very refreshing and passionfruit is scrummy added to almost any juice - or juice your own fruit and pour into the moulds to set. If you are in a huge rush to cool down use fruit juice from the supermarket but fresh always tastes best. We have found a delicious and natural juice that is thick and packed with real fruit in a Tropical Nectar that is almost as good as fresh squeezed.

Ice blocks for healthy easy snacks

Very weak jelly can make an interesting iced lolly

Lime juice and home made lemonade

Yoghurt smoothies make great frozen iced lollies

Iced coffee and iced drinking chocolate (added bonus = you know what is in them)

Freeze grapes and taste like mini Sherberts

Skin bananas and mash slightly and place on greaseproof paper or plastic wrap and freeze. These are a quick and delicious snack that is good for you and cooling too.

Super yummy is nice and tart rhubarb juice if you can strike the right balance and it is not too sweet.

Curried eggs are a moist and delicious spread for sandwiches:

4 hardboiled eggs (shelled and mashed)

1 & 1/2 Teaspoonsful of curry powder ( 2 if you prefer it hotter)

Salt and pepper to taste

Add mayonnaise or butter until smooth and chopped parsley is an optional extra.

Gluten Free Recipes

This same recipe can be used for a shared lunch.

Hard boil 4 - 6 eggs , cool in cold water ( makes them easier to shell) until cool. Shell and cut in half lengthwise.

Take out the yolks and mash with the above ingredients and place the yolks back in the whites.

Serve on lettuce leaves

Link for Devilled Eggs Recipe

Ria Patels Simple Egg Curry Recipe

Gluten Free Recipes

Quick, simple and easy ideas for serving your home made pasta from our Italian friends. You will notice there are no amounts as our friends just add more things as and when people turn up for a meal and don’t get hung up on the actual amounts - it makes cooking a lot more casual and enjoyable.

Serve with your own delicious home made spaghetti, pasta or fettucini to make a quick healthy and delicious meal.

1. Saute breadcrumbs with olive oil, garlic, chilli ( small amount of chilli - always easy to add a bit more later !) saute until crisp then add parsley when cooled as well as fresh tomato, add seasonings, salt and pepper and serve with pasta. Some great fresh herbs to use are oregan0, basil and sage - not all at once of course !
2. Bacon, mushroom, tomato and onion sauteed in olive oil with garlic and chilli
3. Saute onion, chilli, garlic in olive oil, add one tin of tomatoes or fresh if you prefer and a tin of tuna ( in oil)

I have had a lot of comments and many of you are curious how I got interested in pasta making again so I thought I’d share with you a funny tale of how I came to haul out the long forgotten pasta machine from my pantry!

Our Italian friends came to visit today.

We live in the country and they are from the city and we talked about missing fresh pasta here in the country.

“How many eggs do they lay ?” he asked as he watched our free range hens scratching in the garden. Suddenly he sat up straight.

” You gotta pasta machine ?”

I disappeared into the pantry and emerged dusting off a long forgotten box with an Italian made Imperia pasta maker.

“It’s an excellent machine” he stared at me in amazement.

“Its almost new, you’ve barely used it” he said in disbelief, “pasta making is so easy !” …..and ……

“You have a goldmine here” . Barely able to contain his excitement, he talked non-stop of how to make home made fresh pasta and how simple it was to make and how we could have a never ending supply of freshly made, economical pasta. Then followed an animated discussion of the different ways to serve pasta and what you could do with it.

I was almost sorry I’d hauled out the box but my mouth was watering at the descriptions

But what is the recipe I asked. “Recipe, recipe ? You don’t need a recipe” he scoffed, ” just make one small pile of flour with a “dent” in the middle and put in two eggs and then, slowly, slowly, bring the flour into the egg” and leaning back thinking he added “you might need some water”

When I pressed him for the amount, he said it depended…… then seeing the look on my face added “about two fingers worth !!! Bearing in mind that my friend has been a chef, restauranteur and previously a baker, I think maybe he made pasta on autopilot !

“Anyone can make it - you have eggs, you have flour and you have the machine. You have a goldmine” he said again, looking puzzled as to why we hadn’t thought of it before and shrugged.

We all sat down to eat lunch and discuss food (of course, what else) followed by him making a beeline for the armchair “to take a short rest” and promptly went to sleep ! His job was done it seems.

Merry Christmas from The Cat who constantly awaits the delivery of non Vegetarian Food and might even beg for some goodies from the Healthy Urban Cookbook

Greek Yoghurt Sauce
Chop Spring Onions, Coriander, mint and 2 cloves of garlic

Deseed one chilli and add to mix,

Fold this all together with yoghurt - try one cup to start and add until you like the taste

Add extra chilli sauce - sweet chilli sauce is good.

Use with couscous, over patties, on meat loaf, eggplant dishes or whatever takes your fancy.

Mushroom and Sage Tart
Grill 4 big mushrooms on a bed of sage
Place mushrooms on sheet of pastry and cut round each mushroom.

This is so the pastry will rise up around the mushrooms when cooked.

Brush with egg and lay sage leaves around the mushrooms

Brush top again with egg - if you prefer not to use egg skip this step and sprinkle with parmesan cheese Bake 10 - 12 mins in a hot oven.

Delicious and quick tart. Serve with a salad or grilled veges.

I have also tried Nigella Lawson’s Melon Salad and this is very easy to do and tastes delicious too so give it a try:

Chopped Watermelon cut into chunks, soak chopped red onion in lime juice.

Add chopped feta cheese and small amount of olive oil. Add onion and lime. stir and enjoy

Chopped mint is a good addition

Chocolate Friendly Recipes

Ice Cream “Enhancements”
Make strong coffee and either pour over or mix into ice cream, sprinkle with grated coffee flavoured chocolate.

Add scrunched up gingernuts and spoonful of powdered instant coffee to ice cream and re-freeze.

Add several large spoonsful of fruit mince to ice cream and a spoonful of your favorite liqueur(don’t add too much or it will act like antifreeze!) - add a handful of nuts as well if you like.

This range of options is only limited by your imagination !!

Chocolate Friendly Recipes

Enjoy

Apricot Bites

Make these yummy apricot snacks when you need something fast to take for a shared meal or nibbles.

Healthy and fast to put together they look colorful when arranged in rows on a flat platter and you will find they go down a treat - you may not want to share any !

These also look good as part of a platter with cheese bites, cheese straws or whatever is in the pantry.

Home made Hummus with toasted pita bread sprinkled with herbs and cheese and pineapple or cheese and gherkin bites on toothpicks

Today I had two invitations and was invited to take a plate - bring something festive they said ! I had done the obvious, club sandwiches, asparagus rolls, sausage rolls to death and I wanted a new twist and it had to be quick, easy, preferably healthy and look fantastic and delicious.

Go here to find 100 healthy raw snacks and treats

Since one of the occasions was an exercise class I didn’t want to take a plate of something we would all spend the next ten sessions working off and the other was a creative fiber group so it need to at least look artistic.

After a rethink here are some quick ideas for a festive occasion finger food that won’t involve slaving over a hot stove, can be prepared fast and will look great too - just remember its how you present it that makes or breaks it and you can get away with almost anything if it looks amazing.

Tooth pick pix:

Freshly sliced Brie cheese and slices of pear

Cocktail onions and cheese

Chunks of Pineapple and cheddar cheese

Polish garlic sausage and cheese

Apricots spread with cream cheese decorated with an almond

Ham and cheese roll ups secured with a tooth pick

Ham (or bacon if you want to cook !) roll up with a prune inside

Asparagus rolled in ham or any sliced meat

Chunky slices of chicken with sliced mango (or other fruit of your choice)

Creative Platters can go down a treat

Try a selection of various sliced meat, fruit, artichokes, curried eggs

Cheese straws with a dip - tomato dip goes extra well with this or an onion and cheese dip

Corn chips and a dip - a very quick dip is yogurt, sweet chilli sauce and a dash of pepper, or yogurt with chopped gherkins, or avocado with a dash of sweet chilli sauce, or avocado, lemon juice, salt and pepper - try some curry in it to give a kick, even non avocado lovers like this one.

Dates, sliced oranges, tropical fruits and some cheese slices

Lettuce “rolls” with a selection of what you have on hand, examples, cottage cheese, brie, sliced meat, artichokes

Go here to find 100 healthy raw snacks and treats

Crostini - you can go mad with a choice of spreads the most basic is olive oil and garlic, to any number of additions, we love smashed up tomato on top of the olive oil and garlic with fresh chopped basil.

Mini pizzas either make these very small individual ones or one large oblong one and cut into bite sized pieces.

Pita bread toasted or grilled with grated parmesan cheese or alternatively slice the pita bread into triangles and spray with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs before grilling.

Make your servings bite size and leave a supply of toothpicks to self serve and have some festive paper cocktail serviettes on hand. I like to serve my platters with fresh flowers or herbs and if you arrange them creatively then almost any combination will look mouthwatering.

For more cool ideas go to the Healthy Urban Kitchen

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